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A Sort of Family
2017
Director
Diego Lerman
Runtime
95 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
What limits does Malena cross to get what she wants most? Malena is a 38 year old middle class doctor from Buenos Aires. One afternoon she receives the call from Doctor Costas, who informs her that she must travel immediately to the north of the country: the baby she was waiting for is about to be born. Unexpectedly Malena decides to embark on an uncertain journey, full of crossroads, facing all kinds of legal and moral obstacles that will make her constantly wondering how far she is ready to go.
Where to Watch
Diversity & Representation
Overall Score
7.3/10
Good
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The film centers on a non-heteronormative household led by a queer mother and her female partner. This stable, queer-led unit moves beyond tokenism by integrating these identities into the daily fabric of the story.
Gender Representation
The narrative prioritizes female agency and the emotional labor of women. It explores interpersonal power dynamics and maternal experiences to subvert traditional patriarchal hierarchies.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
A predominantly Latin American cast provides an authentic look at contemporary Argentinian life. While focused on a specific middle-class stratum, it offers a departure from Anglo-centric norms.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The story deconstructs the traditional Western family by prioritizing 'chosen family' over biological or religious mandates. It presents family as a subjective, constructed entity.
Disability Representation
There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative. The film avoids harmful tropes but does not actively feature disability representation.
Strengths
- Nuanced depiction of a stable, queer-led domestic unit.
- Strong emphasis on female agency and complex interpersonal dynamics.
- Authentic Argentinian cultural specificity and casting.
- Thoughtful deconstruction of traditional family and institutional norms.
Areas for Improvement
- Limited socioeconomic range, focusing primarily on middle-class environments.
- Lack of representation regarding visible or invisible disabilities.
AI Analysis
Diego Lerman’s drama succeeds by dismantling conventional kinship models in favor of fluid, non-traditional domesticity. The film functions as a character study that values interpersonal connection over rigid institutional norms. By centering a queer-led household and emphasizing female-driven emotional intelligence, the work challenges standard social structures. It replaces traditional hierarchies with a postmodern view of social organization. While the film is culturally specific to Argentina, it remains somewhat limited by its focus on a specific middle-class socioeconomic stratum.
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